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Sunday, May 22, 2005
WASHINGTON POLITICS: Bart Jansen
Highway bill may calm the emotions
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||
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The Senate showdown over judicial filibusters is scheduled Tuesday. But a major piece of legislation hurtling down the tracks - one that has drawn a presidential veto threat, no less - could expose the exaggeration of the moniker "nuclear option" by winning approval this summer after years of delay. The judge fight has soured relations in Congress for weeks. Republicans who control Congress and the White House would like a free hand in naming the judiciary, too. Democratic talk slows that down, so Republicans aim to limit debate in the Senate on judicial appointments with a simple majority vote rather than the current 60 votes out of 100 needed to cut off a filibuster. But because of Democratic resistance - and the threat to future bipartisan efforts at crafting legislation - the strategy was nicknamed the nuclear option. If the judicial filibuster is abolished, Democrats have threatened to slow business to a crawl in the chamber that requires unanimous consent for virtually any action. Moderates such as Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both Republicans, have negotiated to avoid the showdown. WHAT'S THE FUSS? Leave aside for a moment the question of how the public will know whether the Senate stops working. Will anyone notice? Theoretically the chamber has been working earnestly for almost five months this year. But not much has made it through Congress besides bankruptcy reform, class-action lawsuit reform and an extra $82 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan. Presumably senators will agree to consider the 11 spending bills that keep the government running. So voters won't notice the lights going out at Acadia or glitches in Medicare's prescription-drug benefit, which is too complicated for beneficiaries to figure out anyway. The fuss, then, is about other policy votes. For example, one casualty could be John Bolton, President Bush's nominee to become ambassador to the United Nations. But will Democrats stamp and moan even more than they already have over the nomination because of the filibuster? Are they going to filibuster Bolton's nomination by complaining they can no longer filibuster judges? Boo-hoo. Energy legislation is another example. The House has studiously ignored the Senate's huffing and puffing on judges, and moved ahead on spending bills and an energy bill. The problem in the Senate is that the House bill allows drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protects from lawsuits the manufacturers of MTBE, a gasoline additive that pollutes groundwater. Either of these provisions could provoke a Senate filibuster on its own. Reforming Social Security and the income-tax code were never going to be easy, no matter what you think about judges. The highway bill, however, is what could win approval and illustrate how business can continue despite all obstacles. The bill has been a tangled mess for years. States that pay more in gas taxes than they get back in highway funds want to change the funding formula. Bush refused to sign any bill that increased taxes or borrowing to fund the six-year policy bill, which prevented any compromise during the election year - even as lawmakers were eager to brag about winning money for projects back home. The House approved a bill March 10 with $1 billion over six years for Maine. Projects include $11 million for the Gorham bypass and $3.4 million for Interstate 295 and the Franklin arterial. "While I was very disappointed the House and Senate leadership failed to agree on a final transportation authorization bill last year, I am pleased that I was able to secure the funding promised last year, and to increase it substantially in the case of both the Gorham bypass and Franklin arterial projects," Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, said when the bill was approved. MONEY FOR MAINE Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, a member of the Transportation Committee, highlighted $16 million for the Route 1 bridge connecting Waldo and Hancock counties and $4 million for the north-south highway in Aroostook County. "This is an absolutely crucial economic package for Maine," he said. The Senate agreed to its version Tuesday. While it didn't include earmarks like the House, Sens. Snowe and Collins featured provisions for funding the Downeaster train and the east-west highway corridor. But in an added complication, total funding is in dispute. The House approved $284 billion, which Bush endorsed. But the Senate boosted the figure to $295 billion, which Bush threatened to veto - in what would be his first such veto. Critics ranging from fiscal conservatives to anti-tax advocates opposed the bill. "The 11th-hour increase in the spending level made it impossible for me to support," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Never mind. These are bills the House approved 417-9 and the Senate 89-11. Nuclear fallout or not, Bush veto or not, Congress is poised to approve the legislation. Washington Correspondent Bart Jansen can be contacted at 202-488-1119 or at:
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